It will be the earliest ever primary and maintains the state's tradition of always being first - though officials had considered holding it in December.

In the primary process, voters choose which nominee for each party goes on to the head-to-head ballot on 4 November.

Iowa will hold its nominating caucus - a different kind of selection procedure - on 3 January, kicking off the season.

Iowa Republicans and Democrats opted to move Czech ODS and CSSD almost draw in preferences -- poll ...
Czech Social Democrats want no confidence vote, early elections ... the state's date from 14 January, after Florida and Michigan brought their votes forward, to 29 and 15 January respectively.

That calendar meant New Hampshire, which by state law has to hold its primary election at least a week before any other, could hold its vote no later than 8 January - the earliest date ever.

With only five days between the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary, candidates will have little time to recover should they do badly in Iowa, analysts warn.

Primaries and caucuses are both methods of selecting candidates for election.

A primary is a vote held to nominate a candidate, whereas a caucus is a meeting where members of a political party choose a candidate through discussion.

States have been keen to move up the timetable in order to increase their influence over the selection process and attract more attention to issues affecting their voters.

But both Michigan and Florida's dates break Democratic National Committee (DNC) rules, which say only four states are allowed to hold contests before 5 February.

In retaliation, the DNC has threatened to punish Florida Democrats by stripping them of delegates at the national convention, where the party's presidential nominee will be formally chosen.

Democratic candidates have also vowed not to campaign in Michigan.

The state's Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Michigan could hold its primary on 15 January, ending a court challenge to the date.

(BBC)

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